The Promise
by Troublesome6791
Summary: The famous Promise scene plays out a bit differently. Let us see how it affects our hero Keitaro, and what changes it brings to him. No bashing of anyone in this story. My first submission.
1. KeiNaMu

_**The Promise**_

**I do not in any way, shape, or form own Love Hina or any of the characters. That belongs to Ken Akamatsu. **

_**Prologue**_

The town of Hinata. As far as towns in Japan go, Hinata was definitely one of the quieter ones. The town was relatively small, with a big chunk of the residents being of the older persuasion. Which isn't much of a surprise, if you consider the actual age of the town, it being around since the days of the Emperors and feudal lords. If one were to stay long enough, they might confuse the place for a giant retirement community. However, as one would expect of an older town, the place was not without its history. In the deepest part of the city, there lies an inn, supposedly as old as the town itself. This however was no ordinary inn. This was the Hinata inn, named after the city in which it resides, and owned by the Urashima family, one of the oldest families in Japan.

It is here that our story begins, in a sandbox with the newest member of the Urashima family, 4 year old Keitaro Urashima and his two playmates Mutsumi Otohime (4), and Naru Narusegawa(2).

"Hey Kei-kun," Mutsumi stated, getting Keitaro's attention. "Did you know, if two people who love one another can enter Tokyo University together, they will live happily ever after?"

Young Keitaro's interest had been peaked at her question. There was a way for him and his friends to stay together forever? That would be the best thing in the world!

"How do we do it," Keitaro questioned? "Don't things like that usually need a spell or something? And what about Na-chan, she can barely talk? What if it won't work if she can't say it right," Keitaro's voice began to waver as he began to worry for their younger friend?!

"Don't worry Kei-kun, I'm pretty sure that as long as we just promise to go to Tokyo U together, that's all that we will need," Mutsumi reassured to Keitaro. "All we need is to say our promise out loud, and do something to show that we are serious about it."

It was at this point that Naru finally decided to speak up… or tried to. "How we do that, Mu-chan?"

Mutsumi had to think on this for a second, as she wasn't sure how to answer. After sitting there with a cute frown, her eyes lit up as if the proverbial light bulb in her head went off. "I got it," she shouted out loud. "We can just do like they do in old fairy tales, and seal our promise with a kiss."

At that suggestion, Keitaro and Naru's blush turned on full power. Neither of them had ever kissed anyone except to say goodnight to their parents. Apparently Mutsumi didn't have any reservations about it, as she quickly grabbed a hand from both of them.

"Alright, so here's what were gonna do. We stand in a circle together and all say at the same time 'I promise that we'll all go to Tokyo U together' at the same time. Then we each kiss each other to seal the promise."

While slightly embarrassed about it, both Keitaro and Naru wanted for the three of them to be together forever, so they smiled and voiced their being ready. As one, they all counted down from three and chorused, "I promise we will all go to Tokyo U together."

Following their promise, Mutsumi quickly pecked Keitaro on the lips, an action that left the both of them blushing. Keitaro followed suit and quickly kissed Naru, and Naru kissed Mutsumi.

As if some higher being witnessed their innocent vow, the wind picked up briefly, and the sky seemed to get just a little bit clearer.

Unfortunately for the trio, the day came where both Naru and Mutsumi moved away. Naru's health had gotten 100 percent better, and Mutsumi's dad found a better job running his own fishing company with a friend out of Okinawa. Keitaro was deeply saddened at his friends leaving, but "The Promise" kept his heart filled with hope that they would one day all meet again.

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>My first ever submitted fanfiction… Christ I'm lazy. I've been a follower of many authors over the years, some who still write, some who don't for one reason or another, and even a couple who passed away in accidents. And for the first time, I finally got up the nerve to start my own story. I'm going to try to be original, but don't be surprised if some stuff seems similar to other stories. Some things get used over and over because they are popular, and that's just the way it is. I won't need reviews to fuel my writing, but I do want reviews to tell me of any mistakes I make. I think the best way to learn is to look at something from multiple perspectives.<p> 


	2. Tragedy creates an inseparable bond

**I do not own Love Hina or any of the Characters within the Love Hina 'verse. They all belong to Ken Akamatsu. **

**Chapter 2**

_**Horrible tragedy creates an inseparable bond**_

_**Warning: The beginning of the chapter depicts violence and murder. This will probably be the only violence in this story and will be over shortly.**_

The town of Hinata. It is here that our favorite ronin Keitaro Urashima once again finds himself, after not visiting in years. In fact, Keitaro had not returned to Hinata since he had left 15 years ago. Even now he returns not by choice, but because of a horrible blow to him by fate.

Two years ago, shortly before he was set to take his first entrance exam to Tokyo U, Keitaro was victim to a horrible circumstance. His parents happened to own their own sweet shop, and even though it is family owned they still need to hire outside work from time to time, such as the holidays. One such outside part-timer was Kisuke Musashi. Kisuke was your average, modern day slacker with barely any education, limited funds, no prospects, and in his case, was 3 months behind on rent due to his drug problems. After only working for the Urashimas for a couple of months, a random UA of his tested positive for illegal drugs. Kisuke was immediately released from his job, and in the following months, things got progressively worse for him. His drug problem quickly ran out of control, and by extension he ran out of cash to cover both his drugs and his rent. Homeless and strung out, Kisuke did what most people do when things go wrong. He blamed anyone but himself. Kisuke decide that it was the Urashimas fault that his life had gone south, and decided that they deserved to pay.

The following evening Kisuke, armed with a switchblade knife, stormed into the store. Urashima Saito, Keitaro's father, approached the unruly looking man, not recognizing him. Kisuke struck quick and violently stabbed Saito multiple times in the torso, yelling in anger s he committed his heinous crime. Urashima Hana, Saito's wife, came out front to investigate the disturbance, and upon witnessing what happened, began to scream. Kisuke proceeded to stab her as well, silencing her screams. As he looked around at what he had done, he had just decided to leave, until he heard a whimpering noise coming from the back room. Thinking that there was an additional witness, Kisuke investigated the back area and came upon a little girl, who looked no more than 12 or 13. Though the sight of her tears and shivering body saddened the man, Kisuke was a selfish man, and believed he needed to silence her too. But before he could do the job, Kisuke felt a hard blow to the head, and his world went black.

(A few minutes ago)

Keitaro Urashima was making his way to his parents business, feeling on top of the world. After years of intense studying, his hopes of making it to Tokyo U were looking great. His hope of one day seeing his promise girl again had pushed him to dedicate himself to his studies. Though he was by no means a genius, his mock exam scores placed him in the 82nd percentile, which was really good considering he had trouble retaining things he reads in class. Keitaro was more of a learn by doing type of person.

As he came upon his parents' store, a little voice in the back of his head kept telling him that something wasn't right. And it was right. Upon entering the store, Keitaro came upon the sight of his mom and dad's bodies, lying on the floor, soaked in pools of their own blood. The sight made Keitaro freeze, as his brain couldn't process the images in front of him. Suddenly, a sobbing sound startled him out of his shock, and he remembered Kanako, his little sister. He rushed to the back of the store to find her, only to find a man standing over her, raising a bloody knife in the air. Not thinking and grabbing the first thing he could, which happened to be a metal stool, Keitaro ran and swung the stool as hard as he could. It connected with the man's head with a loud thud and the man immediately fell over unconscious.

After looking him over to make sure he was down and out, Keitaro immediately switched his attention to his, thankfully, unharmed sister. She had her knees pulled up to her face, and was sobbing into her dress. Upon feeling his hand touch her shoulder, Kanako peeked up from her sobbing to look at who it was. When she saw her big brother, she immediately threw herself into his arms, her sobbing getting even louder as she finally felt safe. Keitaro embraced her, whispering comforting words into her ears. As much as he wanted to cry with her there would be time for tears later. First he had to call the police and get Kanako to safety. Scooping her up in his arms bridal style, Keitaro quickly exited the building. Using a pay phone outside, he called the police and informed them of what happened.

After a multitude of questions and reassurances, the police took him and Kanako home with a promise that the man would go away for life based upon the overwhelming amount of evidence so far. After laying a passed out Kanako on the couch, Keitaro went to the phone and called the only relatives he had left, his aunt Haruka and Granny Hina. After explaining what happened, both told him that they would be there as soon as possible, and left to get ready.

Keitaro felt a weight latch on to his arm. He saw that it was Kanako, shuddering in fright, looking at him with tears in her eyes. The look screamed "please don't leave me" and he immediately embraced Kanako, reassuring her that he would never leave her. He moved the both of them back to the couch, and as soon as they were seated Kanako snuggled up to him, searching for reassurance from his warmth. Soon enough she fell asleep again, and Keitaro, finally with time to himself, unloaded. Tears fell from his eyes as images of what he had seen flashed through his mind. He began sobbing as he thought of all the things his parents would miss. Him getting to Tokyo U, Kanako's graduation from school, any grandchildren they might have, they would never get to see, and all because some selfish monster. But then he remembered all the great times he had with his parents. The vacations they have had, adopting Kanako, the times they stayed home with him or Kanako because they were sick. As the tears fell from his face, he swore that he would always honor his parents' memory, and do his best at everything he tried, whether it be his job, relationships, business, or anything else. But as he looked down at his little sister, he swore that no matter what, he would always be there for Kanako, no matter what happened in the future, and that nothing would ever separate her from him. At that moment, Keitaro decided to make sure that Kanako would never be sad again.

(Two months later)

After recovering from the horrible tragedy, Granny Urashima and Haruka tried to convince Keitaro to move to Hinata, so as to make things easier. But Keitaro said no, stating that he wanted to continue his parents business. When asked if he still wanted to go to Tokyo University, he replied in the affirmative, stating that he would both attend University, and keep his parents' business running. When the subject of Kanako came up, Keitaro informed them that she would stay with him, seeing as she became emotionally distraught when the thought of not being with Keitaro came up. Haruka and Hina agreed, though Hina told Keitaro that he and Kanako would receive money every month from her, sparing what she could. After talking for a little while longer, Hina and Haruka departed back to Hinata, with a reminder that Keitaro and Kanako always had a place at Hinata, and that they would stop by when they could.

Shortly after they left, Keitaro began going through files and calling people to make any necessary changes so the Urashima sweet shop stayed under his name. Having worked on and off at the place, plus being taught by his dad some of what was needed in order to run a business, Keitaro quickly began to try to get the store back up and running.

Unfortunately, real life isn't that simple. Keitaro quickly found that between studying for Tokyo University, restoring and running a store, balancing finances, and taking care of himself as well as Kanako, he simply did not have enough time. Though he and any other employees tried, it seemed that the idea of shopping for sweets at a place where people were murdered put a lot of people off. Even with Kanako and his friends Haitani and Shirai volunteering for pretty near nothing, things still didn't even out. Probably the only thing that was going right was Kanako. Though she still felt the need to sleep in the same room as him, she seemed to be getting better, if only when he was around. He found out that at school, she had shut out any friends that she had before. Though this concerned him, at least her studies weren't failing. If anything, she was putting as much effort into them as he was. When asked why she told him that she wanted to go to Tokyo U like he wanted to. Though her wanting to be as close to him as possible had him concerned, his worrying about her quickly overrode any thoughts that what she was doing was unhealthy, and he figured that she would become more normal with time.

Almost two years later, Keitaro finally had to admit that as much as he didn't like it; his parents shop was going to fail. The reputation that stuck with the place just did too much damage, and he finally had to close the place down. He sold the property to a fast rising restaurant chain, and the owner was even nice enough to give him a good price despite the reputation of the place.

In the two years since That day, Keitaro had failed twice to get into Tokyo U. The first time he had just skipped. There were too many things happening and he needed to figure a lot of things out at the time. The second time around, he just had too much stuff going on, and even though he had kept up his studies, the day before the test Kanako had broken her leg practicing martial arts. Due to staying home to look after her that day after they got back from the hospital, he had again missed taking the test. When Kanako remembered what day it was, she began apologizing and crying about how she was such a burden to her Onii-chan, and how things would be easier on him if she wasn't around. That was the only time in his life he had ever slapped somebody. After slapping her hard enough to break her out of her self-loathing rant, he reassured her that there was nothing he would want more than to spend more time with her. After reassuring her that he could always take the test next year, and that he still loved his little sister, he made her some dinner, and shortly afterwards they both went to bed.

After thinking about everything, there was one more thing that he could do, but he had to discuss it with Kanako first. He was thinking of moving out and taking Granny Hina's offer to move into the Hinata Inn. While the move would be inconvenient, the money that they would save on rent, combined with the sale of both the house and the store property, would ensure that Kanako and he would both get through college and still have enough for starting up whatever they did afterwards, if only for a little. If needed, he could get a job to add to their savings.

That is how Keitaro finds himself at Hinata, staring up the long, long, LONG staircase leading up to the Hinata Inn. Remembering how he got here always put him in a somber mood, but he remembered Kanako, and that he was here so both of them could have a better life. He began to ascend the stairs, not knowing what adventures await him.

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A/N

Damn, my hands are cramping up. I haven't written that much in a while. I wanna thank everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited my story. It's encouraging that people actually read this. Just to let you know, for those that were put off by this chapter, this will most likely be the only instance of violence in the story. If you haven't figured it out yet, this world is majorly , Keitaro isn't going to be some ladies man who everyone instantly falls head over heels for. I hope that I showed that much like in real life, things won't always work out like our protagonist wants them to. Bad things happen, unfortunately to good people. On a higher note, this will be the saddest chapter in the story. I want the rest of this story to make people smile. The humor and laughs will come. This chapter was just a way to let you know, this world isn't Canon. There won't be anyone with godlike strength, launching people into L.E.O. I make no promises on some of Su's inventions, though they will be dialed down. Also, despite how it may seem, Kanako isn't going to be a Bro-con. Yes, her and Keitaro will be closer in some ways than in the manga, but she won't be romantically attracted to him. Overprotective, yes. But no romantic feelings. She sees Keitaro as the only major person of importance right now. She loves her Aunt and Granny, but Keitaro is the center of her Universe right now, until she starts to get better. She's more Hero complex than brother complex. This will probably be the only author's note that is this long. Unless I die, in which case I have one typed up so that my ghost can submit it to you and explain how I died. Ghost me will just have to figure out a way to type.


	3. The Welcoming Party

_**The Welcoming Party**_

_**Chapter 3**_

The Hinata Inn. It is here that we find our weary hero, staring upon the entrance of old memories, many partially forgotten.

"Wow, it's been years since I've been here," stated Keitaro, "Years, and yet it seems not a thing has changed, at least from what I remember."

Despite the fact that it had been years since he had last been here, the Hinata Inn hadn't aged a day from what Keitaro could remember. As he crossed the threshold he was hit by a sudden wave of nostalgia, memories of himself and another little girl briefly flashed across his mind, bringing a small smile across his face. In these last few years, one of the driving forces behind him trying so hard to get into Tokyo U was the old memory of the day he made his Promise. The problem with that memory was that every time he recalled it, it felt as if something was missing, something major. But if he tried to remember what it was he fell short, so he stopped letting it bother him so much, figuring he'd remember at some point.

As Keitaro looked around he began to notice the state of disrepair the place was in. It wasn't anything major, some rotten wood here and there, along with furniture that looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in a couple of months. 'What the- it looks like Granny Hina's been slacking lately. This place hasn't been cleaned in a while by the looks of it. Oh well, I'll mention it later.'

After looking around and not seeing anyone, Keitaro decided that he'd just wait in the entrance room, figuring someone would be around eventually. As he sat down and got comfortable, he began to notice just how tired he really was. 'I guess with everything that has been going on, I haven't really had time to just sit down and rest. I don't think Granny would mind if I took a quick nap. I think I'll just lay down here and close my eyes.'

[One Hour Later…]

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK, THERE'S A PERVERT HERE," was the alarm that woke Keitaro out of his nap. After making his way out of unconsciousness, he looked around and noticed a beautiful brunette staring at him, though her beauty was slightly marred by the rage that clearly showed on her face.

Quickly shaking the cobwebs from his head, Keitaro began to realize that introduction by sleeping in the living room may not have been such a good idea. After realizing that staring at her may not be the best idea, he decided that maybe he should try speaking, so as to avoid any miscommunication.

"Ummm, hello. My name is Urashima Keitaro, and I'm here to see Granny Hina. Do you know if she's around?"

Upon hearing Granny Hina's name, the rage on the girl's face morphed to one of confusion, followed quickly by suspicion.

"How do you know Granny," she asked with suspicion, narrowing her eyes at this unknown man, "and what business could a pervert like you have with her?"

"Hey now, that's uncalled for," stated Keitaro, a slight hint of annoyance creeping into his tone, "you don't even know me, and yet you're calling me a pervert."

To Naru, the idea of this "obvious" pervert defending himself made her even angrier. He is an unknown male inside a girl's dormitory, so obviously he must be a pervert, here to unleash his perverseness on unsuspecting young girls/women. However, as she was about to let him know what she thought, the sliding door slammed open, interrupting her train of thought. When she saw who it was, the look on her face changed from anger to a smirk. There, standing in the doorway with her Shirasaya drawn, was Motoko, the only girl in the world that disliked perverts worse than her.

"Narusegawa-san, I thought I heard someone…" her inquiry stopped as she noticed the presence of Keitaro in the room.

Quickly realizing that things could get out of hand here quick, Keitaro figured being polite might throw the new deadly arrival off balance, and responded to her presence as politely as possible. Quickly bowing towards the two girls, he quickly introduced himself. "Greetings, my name is Urashima Keitaro, and I apologize for intruding upon your home. I am only here to speak with my grandmother, Hina Urashima, about family business," he managed to get out in one breath.

Seeing the sword girl pause at Granny's name, he continued, "I apologize for falling asleep in the living room, but I haven't managed to sleep in a couple days, and the moment I sat down, I was out."

Motoko, hearing the male's statement, decided she needed more info. Pointing her sword in his direction, she began her inquiry. "For what business would a male such as yourself have with Granny Hina?"

Seeing she was giving him a chance to explain, Naru had to interrupt. "Motoko, what does it matter why he's here? He's here in a girl's dorm, so he must obviously be a pervert. I thought you of all people would have been eager to get rid of him," Naru argued, confused as to her friend's actions thus far. The Motoko she knows would have been quick to scare him away.

"In the past that may have been true, Narusegawa, but not anymore. After visiting with my sister over the weekend, I learned of an interesting lesson."

Seeing the confusion on her face, Motoko continued, "Despite the fact that I would like to punish this male for intruding upon our home, his words and overall demeanor seem to indicate that his words are genuine, coupled with the fact that he knows of Granny Hina and shares her last name lends further evidence in his favor. However," she stated sending a glare in his direction, "that does not excuse him coming in unannounced and falling asleep like some random vagabond."

After finishing her thoughts, she focused her attention back fully to Keitaro. "Know this Urashima-san. Had you come here any day before today, I would have visited righteous punishment upon you for your trespass."

Hearing this Keitaro began to get nervous. By the look of her she wasn't kidding. The training gi mixed with the sword made her look like a bonafide kendoka… or a cosplayer, but he wasn't going to say that out loud while her sword was still drawn.

"However, over the weekend, I was taught to investigate every questionable situation with an open ear and a keen mind. Though I would like nothing more than to see you gone, your body language and words indicate that you are telling the truth. So, here's what is going to happen. Narusegawa-san and I are going to escort you down to the teahouse. If you truly are who you say you are, then Haruka-san will know you and be able to clear the air. Though, if you make any sudden moves, I will not hesitate to use more physical methods of restraining you. Do you understand," Motoko finished?

Knowing he didn't really have much of a choice, Keitaro replied in the affirmative. "Yes, I understand completely. And thank you for hearing me out. I really do apologize for falling asleep in your home," and turning towards Naru, he continued, "and I apologize for scaring you miss. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I've just been very busy lately, and haven't had time to rest, so when I sat down, my body just shut down."

Though she didn't trust him still, she could understand what Motoko was saying. Besides, if Haruka didn't recognize him, they could still punish him later, and then hand him over to the police. Surely breaking and entering was a valid excuse for assaulting a man. "Look here you, I don't trust you. You wander into our home and just fall asleep as if you owned the place. I still think we should punish you regardless if your story checks out. However, Motoko-san has a point, and so we'll take you to Haruka-san. Besides, if we find out you're lying, we can always punish you afterwards, and then drop your ass off at the nearest precinct," she finished with an evil smirk on her face.

The look on her face sent small chills down Keitaro's spine, but he knew once they talked to Haruka-obasan, that things would be all cleared up. "I understand, but Haruka-obasan should be able to clear everything up. Let us go see her now, and we can get past this misunderstanding."

Inside his head, Keitaro was wondering what he had done in his previous life to deserve such rotten luck. His previous incarnation must have killed newborn puppies for him to get this much bad luck in this short amount of time. Oh well, no use pondering it now. He could curse his previous lives later, after seeing Haruka-obasan.

'Hehe, no more fans to the head. I finally got used to calling her obasan. Seriously, that paper fan of hers could cause some serious brain damage.'

Poor Keitaro. How little he understands women.

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AN: Sorry about the wait. I was browsing some of my favorite stories on HPFFA and accidentally fell asleep. When I woke up, my laptop was completely fried. The only saving grace was my flash drive survived unharmed, so I still managed to keep my important information. It took me a while to save up enough for a new laptop. Thankfully I managed to get one for a good price. Once again, sorry for the long wait…..Now the bad news. My work as supervisor at our UPS hub, combined with other family issues I have to deal with are going to take up a lot of my time and drain me mentally. The holidays are around the corner, which means peak season at work, which means our volume is going to double, which means more work than usual. I will try to update when I can, but don't be surprised if it takes a few weeks again. Sorry, but the extra hours means extra money, and I can't pass that up. Review or PM me if you have any concerns or comments about the way this story is going. I can answer almost anything other than how this story is going to end. Even I'm not sure about that yet.


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